Tom Warne Report, 27 July 2012
AUSTIN, TX – State highway officials can expect to achieve an increase in pavement performance and a decrease in costs by using a new data management tool that is now freely available to the public. The tool, Veda 1.0, was funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (DOT) and was created by The Transtec Group.
Veda has two primary functions. First, Veda maps and displays intelligent compaction (IC) data. IC is a Continuous Compaction Control (CCC) technology that tracks the progress of asphalt or soils compaction. IC uses compaction rollers that can collect data and control operations during compaction. Veda can display, edit, layer, and analyze IC data from any IC-capable system. Second, Veda graphically maps and displays a wide variety of geospatial pavement construction information, including material stiffness, temperature, density, deflection, and other data types.
The FHWA, the Indiana DOT, and the Minnesota DOT have all reported success with Veda – all three include the tool in Special Provision specifications. Minnesota DOT engineer Rebecca Embacher said Veda’s ability to “combine data from a number of technologies” helps their department further their goal of “reducing construction and maintenance costs while increasing pavement performance.” Ms. Embacher added that the “Minnesota DOT will continue to use Veda.”